It's Time to Reconcile
by elsiecarson
Summary: Harry and Ruth are home at the end of a long day. There's a surprise visitor in the for of Harry's son, Graham. Harry tries to fix their relationship and wants Graham to get to know Ruth.
1. Chapter 1

Harry sinks onto the sofa after a long day at the office. Ruth is upstairs showering and Harry has poured himself a drink. Suddenly there's a doorbell ringing and he's immediately on edge. It's late and it's rare for them to have company, at least friendly company. He picks a handgun as he goes to the front door. He looks out through the peephole and is surprised to see his son on the other side of the door. He tucks his gun into his back waistband and opens the door. "Graham," Harry says quietly.

"Hi dad. I hope you're not upset; mum gave me your address. I needed to talk to you." Graham says seriously.

"Come on in. My partner is upstairs in the shower. I'll just let her know you're here so she doesn't come down indecently dressed or anything. Make yourself at home." Harry ushers his son into the house. He heads upstairs to catch Ruth before she comes downstairs. "Hey Ruth?" Harry asks as he walks into the bathroom.

"What's up Harry?" Ruth asks as she runs her fingers through her wet hair.

"Graham's downstairs, so when you come down to join us just make sure you're dressed and we'll order some dinner." Harry tells Ruth.

"Are you sure you want me to be there when you talk to Graham? Maybe it should just be the two of you." Ruth suggests to Harry.

"No, I want you to meet Graham. It's important to me that you meet him. I'm going downstairs to talk to him. You come and join us when you're ready." Harry softly kisses Ruth before he goes back downstairs.


	2. Meeting at Last

"It's good to see you, Graham."

"It's good to see you too, dad. Mum's been driving me crazy calling twice a day and I finally decided to try and reconcile with you. I think it's about time." Graham watches his dad sot down in a chair, pull a gun from his back waistband and set it on the coffee table.

Harry sips his whiskey. "Sorry about the gun. Paranoia tends to come with the job. I will do anything to get my relationship with you back. We can start right now. Why don't you stay to dinner? Ruth and I were going to order in." Harry suggests to his son.

"Is Ruth your partners who's upstairs? Will she want me to stay? We haven't exactly gotten along over the years." Graham asks and Harry can hear the fear in his voice.

"Ruth is my partner though she'll hate to be described that way. She wants to meet you. I've talked to her about you a lot when I needed to. She's always been there for me." Harry admits to his son.

"She must be pretty special if she'll put up with you, dad." Graham teases.

"I've been saying that for years since I first met Ruth." Harry smiles at Graham.

"Years? How long have you known Ruth? How did you meet her?" Graham is curious about his dad's life.

"I've known Ruth for 7 years. I met her at work. She was on secondment from GCHQ as an intelligence analyst and she never left. We've been through a lot together." Harry says emotionally.

"Yes, we certainly have been through a lot together." Ruth says as she comes into the room only having heard the last thing Harry said. She kisses Harry's cheek as she sits on the arm of his chair.

"Hi sweetheart. You look refreshed after our long day." Harry puts his arm around Ruth's waist. Her hair is beginning to curl at the ends.

"Hi, you must be Graham. I'm Ruth." Ruth smiles at Graham.

"Hi Ruth. It's nice to meet you. She's not what I was imagining, dad. She's not your usual type." Graham says seriously.

"Well, given my history with women the fact that Ruth is not my usual type works in my favour and hers. She's different and she's smart." Harry tells his son.

"That's definitely not your usual type at all. I'm proud of you, dad. This is really positive for you. I'm sure Ruth keeps you on your toes."

"She sure does. I hope you will be able to get to know her as you and I improve our relationship. It's important to me." Harry says honestly.

Ruth leans over and kisses the top of Harry's head. "Can I get you something to drink, Graham? I know you don't drink alcohol, but we have lots of other things. Maybe after we do that we can order some food."

"That sounds great Ruth. I'll have a juice or something." Graham requests of his dad's girlfriend.

"Sure we have orange, pineapple, or grapefruit juice. What can I get you?" Ruth tries to think what kind of juice is in the fridge.

"I think I can guess what he'd want. Graham's favourite was always orange juice, so probably orange juice and Sprite." Harry thinks carefully.

"Wow dad, I'm impressed. I didn't think you'd remember that. Orange juice and Sprite is perfect. Thanks Ruth." Graham says with a smile at Ruth.

"I'll be right back." Ruth says as she stands up. She leans over and whispers in Harry's ear, "Be nice and stay calm."


	3. Teasing

Ruth goes into the kitchen with a smile on her face. Graham looks so much like his dad. She pours a tall glass of orange juice and tops it with Sprite. She carries the glass and the rest of the can into the living room. She hasn't heard any shouting and supposes that's a good thing unless there's dead silence in the other room. When she walks in Harry and Graham are chatting cordially. "So, what do we want for dinner?" Ruth asks when there's a lull in the conversation. She doesn't want to stem the flow of conversation between father and son.

"If you say pizza like you used to when you were a kid I think I'll cry." Harry teases his son.

"Don't worry, dad, I've got a more sophisticated palette now. How about Greek food?" Graham suggests.

"That sounds good." Ruth concurs with Graham.

"Well, I guess that kills any plans I had for later." Harry says teasingly. Ruth blushes.

"Yeah, sorry dad. Any plans you had to get lucky tonight may have just been axed with the amount of garlic we'll be having with dinner." Graham teases his dad.

"I'll go find the menu for the Greek restaurant." Ruth smiles at Harry and Graham.

"Can you grab me a sparkling water, Ruth?" Harry asks as he turns his head to look over his shoulder.

"Sure, I can do that. Do you want a glass as well?" Ruth asks leaning against the doorframe.

"Yes please. Thanks Ruth." Harry says sweetly.


	4. A Normal Moment

"Wow dad, she's amazing. You are so much more relaxed and happy with her. You and I haven't even had an argument yet." Graham is a bit surprised at his dad's calm demeanour.

"I don't want to argue with you, Graham. It's not worth it. I can't change the past, but the future can be better for us." Harry says seriously.

"You're right, dad. We can make this better and I really want to try. Mum won't be happy that this is happening, but I'm not a little boy anymore and she can't expect me not to have a relationship with you. Besides I understand your job a lot better now." Graham is equally serious.

"Maybe I should talk to Jane and try to smooth things over. It's time." Harry thinks carefully.

"Just be careful with that dad. She's very vindictive when it comes to you." Graham says gently.

"She has every right to be angry with me, but I'm calmer. I should be able to talk to her. We should be able to have family get-togethers without me feeling as if she's going to kill me." Harry grumbles.

"Are you talking about Jane?" Ruth asks as she passes Harry his glass. "You'll work things out with her. I brought the menu." Ruth sits on the arm of Harry's chair and passes him the menu.

Harry reads the menu and says to Ruth, "I bet I know what you'll get for dinner."

"Oh yeah, guess then, if you're so smart." Ruth teases Harry.

"Chicken souvlaki with Greek salad and ekmek for dessert." Harry says confidently.

"Bloody spook." Ruth says playfully giving Harry a gentle shove.

"You two are so sweet together." Graham says wistfully.

"Here, you pick what you want, Graham." Harry passes his son the menu ignoring his comment.

"What are you having then?" Graham asks his dad as he sips his juice.

"Athenian ribs with Greek salad." Harry watches his son. He can hardly believe how similar he and his son look since Catherine is almost the spitting image of her mother.

"Red meat! Harry, the doctor told you you had to cut down on that for your health." Ruth complains to Harry.

"He said I could have red meat every once in a while and I've been having so much fish I could probably grow gills." Harry grumbles.

"Dad, she's probably trying to make sure that you're looking after yourself. You're not the best at doing that." Graham says pointedly.

"Thank you, Graham." Ruth smiles at Harry's son. "He never looks after himself."

"Some things never change. Mum used to say that all the time. Why don't you get a large prawn souvlaki? That will be healthier for you." Graham suggests.

"I didn't even notice that on the menu. That sounds really good. That is a better option for me." Harry thinks carefully.

"What are you having, Graham? Ruth asks.

"I'm having the spanakopita." Graham says as he sets the menu down on the coffee table.

"Their spanakopita is very good." Ruth smiles and picks up the phone. She orders the three main dishes, ekmek, and baklava. "It should all be here soon."

"Can I get you a glass of wine, Ruth?" Harry asks as he stands up d holds out a bottle of red wine.

"No, I'll have a cup of tea instead." Ruth stands up to head into the kitchen.

"Ruth, don't feel like you have to not drink because of me. I'm happily sober. If you want to have a glass of wine go ahead. I don't want to impose." Graham reassures her.

"It's not necessary for me to have a drink every night after work. I'm just going to have some decaf tea. I'll grab us some munchies from my stockpile, too." Ruth heads back into the kitchen and puts the kettle on.


	5. Talking Honestly

"Dad, I can't believe how happy you seem now. It's such a big change for you. The fact that you're home before midnight is amazing. Your priorities seem to have shifted." Graham smiles at his dad.

"They have shifted. Today was a long day, but it was a relatively quiet day. Nothing major happened. I hate politicians though. I had so many meetings today. Men who have small minds that I have to deal with." Harry sounds frustrated.

"Has he started complaining about politicians already?" Ruth asks as she comes in carrying a bowl of munchies and a mug of tea. "Don't bore him to death Harry."

"I actually think it's funny. Now that I'm a little older I get why dad hates politicians. I didn't get it when I was a kid. We should be able to vent to each other. That's part of a close relationship and that's what I want." Graham says seriously.

"Well, if he really wants to vent to you you may have to sign the Official Secrets Act. I'm sure he'd like to see you more often and he's not always this calm." Ruth says sweetly.

"I wouldn't mind doing that for dad. I think I'm finally in a good head space and I want dad and I to be friends." Graham says honestly.

"That means a lot to me, Graham. I want you and I to be friends too, but I also want you to know you can count on my now. You call me if I can do anything for you." Harry says seriously. He can see the tears in his son's eyes.

"Dad, can I hug you?" Graham asks emotionally. Suddenly he feels really close to his dad, who has never been big on hugs.

Ruth can see the tears in Harry's eyes. Harry stands up and walks over to his son. Graham stands up and hugs his dad tightly. For Harry it's the best feeling in the world to have his arms around his son. He can't believe this is happening.

Ruth can feel the tears well up in her eyes. This moment is so sweet. Harry turns towards Ruth when he hears her sniff. "Hey! What are you crying about?" Harry comes over and hugs her.

"You two are so stupid!" Ruth cries as she hugs Harry.

"I know. I've been saying that for years." Harry says gently. He softly strokes her hair.

"Ruth? Can I give you a hug too? Something tells me a lot of this is because of you." Graham asks gently.

"Of course you can. Your dad really wanted to have a relationship with you. I just had to give him a little boost of confidence to call you." Ruth dries her eyes and hugs Graham.

"Thank you for being so good to my dad, Ruth. Catherine said dad used to talk about you all the time when you weren't in the country." Graham whispers in Ruth's ear.

"You're very welcome, Graham. He's very easy to care about, you know." Ruth whispers back.

"I know. I'm beginning to realize how easy he is to care about. It took me bloody long enough." Graham says seriously.

"Hey now, in your defence, it took me a long time to grow into being a father. It's not entirely your fault." Harry says seriously. "What did you say to him?" Harry asks Ruth as he puts his arms around her shoulders.

"Nothing important," Ruth says nonchalantly. She's grateful that at that moment the doorbell rings telling everyone dinner's arrived.

"I'll go." harry pulls his wallet out of his inside pocket and goes to the front door.


	6. Who is He?

"My God, he's like a totally different person. I never saw him this relaxed when I was a kid." Graham marvels at his dad.

"It's a lot of work to keep him this way, that's for sure." Ruth admits quietly.

"What's a lot of work, dear?" Harry asks as he comes into the room carrying the bag with dinner in his hand.

"I was telling Graham that keeping you relaxed is a lot of work. You don't relax naturally." Ruth teases Harry.

"No, that's very true. I'm sure Graham can vouch for that as well. I relax more around other people now than I ever did on my own." Harry kisses Ruth's forehead. "I'm going to get some cutlery."

"He's so domestic now. It's weird almost. I wish he'd shown me this side of himself a long time ago. I don't remember him ever offering to make dinner or anything." Graham can feel his emotions welling up in him.

"I hadn't seen him like this ever either. At least not until we got together as a couple. He definitely has two different sides. This side of him I never see at the office. This is the part of him only I get to see and that is very special for me." Ruth smiles wistfully.

"All right, let's eat. What have you two been talking about?" Harry asks as he sets down three sets of cutlery.

"We were talking about you. Graham is surprised at the difference he's seen in you." Ruth says honestly.

Harry unties his tie and unbuttons the top two buttons on his shirt. "I can't believe how much I've changed either. Ruth has made me a better man recently and I thank her for that." Harry says seriously.

Ruth blushes at Harry's compliment. "Would you stop? Don't give me all the credit. This side of you was always in there. I just brought it out for you." Ruth says gently.

"You underestimate yourself so much. Now, who's hungry? I know I am. That pizza for lunch was gross." Harry grimaces as he thinks about lunch.

"Yeah, we need an office memo about not ever letting Tariq order lunch for Section D." Ruth says with a cheeky smile.

Harry opens the bag with the food and passes out the three hot meals. Ruth loves watches Harry eat. He's so suave and sophisticated, but he doesn't recognize it usually. She tries to watch him covertly because he hates to be watched. "Watching me again Ruth?" Harry teases.

"So much for me covertly watching you, you bloody spook." Ruth teases Harry back.

"I've been doing this a long time, Ruth. I tend to know when someone is watching me. It's hard to watch me without me noticing." Harry smiles at Ruth and smirks at his son.

"We could never sneak past him when we were kids either, Ruth. We never beat him at hide and seek either." Graham teases his dad.

"You never beat me at hide and seek because you always giggled wherever you were hiding. You and Catherine were terrible at hiding." Harry teases his son.

"It was because Catherine used to tickle me when we were hiding." Graham whines.

"I always told you not to hide with Catherine. If you were found it meant she had won." Harry reminisces with his son.

"You must be bored, Ruth. You can't participate in our conversation." Graham is trying to be polite.

"Actually, it's really nice to see you and your dad getting along so well. He talks about you all the time. He was so happy for you when he found out you'd gotten sober. I don't mind not being involved in the conversation." Ruth smiles at Graham. He's being really sweet to her.


	7. Relaxing Moments

Ruth sighs happily and curls her feet under herself. "Are you all right, Ruth?" Harry asks gently. He wants to make sure she's not too tired to stay awake.

"I'm alright Harry. It was a happy sigh, I promise." Ruth reaches for Harry's hand.

Harry sets his empty container down on the coffee table. "Come here sweetheart." Harry pulls Ruth over to him and sits her down on his lap. He puts his arms around her waist.

"Now Harry, don't make Graham too uncomfortable. He doesn't need to know everything about you all at once." Ruth teases Harry.

Harry kisses Ruth's cheek and cuddles her against his chest. "Graham knows what it's like to be in love and I used to sit with Jane like this when things were good between us. I know you don't like public displays of affection."

"I remember that. Mum used to cuddle with you when you had a bad day. It was so sweet to watch, but this is even sweeter because I can see how happy you are." Graham tells his dad.

"I am happy, Graham. That hasn't happened for the longest time." Harry admits quietly.

Ruth leans close to Harry and kisses his cheek. Harry looks questioningly at Ruth. "I don't mind public displays of affection all the time especially when you say such sweet things."

"I'll keep that in mind in future." Harry says cheekily.

"It's so sweet to see you this way, dad. I like seeing you this way." Graham smiles happily.

"Harry, have you looked at the time? Look how long we've been sitting here." Ruth says happily.

"Look at that. We've been sitting here almost five hours. Graham, would you like to stay the night here? I don't really want you driving the streets of London at this time of night. I'd feel better if you stayed." Harry says seriously.

"As long as you're sure I'm not cramping your style, dad. I wouldn't want to do that." Graham teases his dad.

"You're not cramping my style anymore than I manage to most of the time. Just so you know Ruth and I will be up early. I hope that doesn't bother you." Harry tells his son.

"It doesn't bother me. I have to be up early in the morning for work anyway." Graham explains to his dad.

"I'll make breakfast in the morning for us." Ruth tells Graham.

"Don't change your routine just because of me, Ruth. I'm fine with toast or something for breakfast. I'm not fussy." Graham doesn't want to be a nuisance.

"Oh honey, I love that you think we have a routine. If I remember or have time to have breakfast it's a good day, but we'll make time for breakfast tomorrow. I think it's important." Ruth says gently.

"Well, if you're sure, Ruth. That would be really nice. It's rare to get a hot breakfast." Graham sounds almost relieved.

"How's your flat, Graham? Your mum wasn't so sure about the neighbourhood or so Catherine told me." Harry asks Graham.

"Well, it's probably not the best neighbourhood, but I don't mind. I'm back on my feet and that feels really good. The hot water isn't consistent and it smells funny when it rains. It's small and the colour is terrible,, but it's any okay first flat." Graham chuckles as he thinks about his flat.

"Sounds like my first flat. Your grandmother was appalled that I'd rather be living there than at home with her when I came out of the Army. I couldn't cook. I think I lived on tinned beans on toast." Harry reminisces.

"Hey, don't knock tinned beans on toast! It means you're not starving!" Graham protests.

"Trust me he's not knocking beans on toast. He still eats them on really late nights." Ruth tells Graham.

Graham laughs out loud. "My sophisticated dad eats beans on toast. I can't see it."

"It's comfort food and I'm not that sophisticated. I just fake it really well. Politicians never know I don't care about what they're talking about. I'm well-educated but they talk too much. They overdo everything." Harry grumbles.

"It's funny that you have such a political job since you hate politicians. How do you deal with it every day?" Graham asks with a smirk,.

"Ruth lets me vent to her so I don't bring my frustration home with me. Our jobs cannot come home with us." Harry says seriously.

"That's good in theory. How does it work in practice?" Graham asks cheekily

"It doesn't work as well as we would like, especially when we get red flashes in the middle of the night. Our lives are bizarre really." Harry admits. Sometimes he can't believe that the life he's living is real. He notices his son yawn while he's listening. "I think it's time for bed for all of us. Ruth, can you take Graham up to the spare room? I'll set the alarm and be right up. Graham, my recommendation is just not to open anything until Ruth or I get up in the morning. The system is very sensitive."

"I expected nothing less from you, dad. You probably have a retina scan and a fingerprint scan too, don't you?" Graham teases.

"Maybe," Harry evades his son's question. "Ruth, you can get Graham a t-shirt and a pair of pyjama pants from the dresser, okay?"

"Of course Harry."


	8. Good Night, Sleep Tight

"Come on Graham. I'll take you up." Ruth lets Graham go up ahead of her. "You're going into the first room on the left."

"This is so nice. Dad picked a really nice woman this time and the house is gorgeous. I'm really grateful to you, Ruth, for looking after dad." Graham sounds happy.

"You're welcome, Graham. I'll go get you some pyjamas. Our room is just across the hall if you need anything." Ruth heads across the hall and finds a small t-shirt and a pair of pyjama pants of Harry's for Graham. "Here you are, Graham. I hope you'll be comfortable. I'm going to give you a hug and head to bed. I'm exhausted."

Graham hugs Ruth tightly. "Thank God for you, Ruth. You've changed his life."

"Good night, Graham. I'll get your dad to come over and say good night before he comes to bed." Ruth kisses Graham's cheek before she walks across the hall to the master bedroom.

Harry sighs happily as he climbs the stairs. He shoves his hands deep into his pockets as he approaches his son's room. He knocks softly on the door. "Graham?"

"Come in dad." Graham calls out to his dad. He's just pulling his borrowed t-shirt on when his dad comes in.

"I just came in to say good night." Harry stands just inside the door with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

Graham suddenly looks awkward. "Good night dad." Graham takes the initiative and hugs his dad. "I want you to know I love you."

Harry tightly clutches his son's back. "I love you too, Graham. I'll see you in the morning." Harry knows if he stays in this room anymore he'll end up in tears.

Ruth notices Harry's tears when he enters the bedroom. "What's wrong?"

Harry gently shuts the bedroom door. "He loves me." The tears run down his face.

"Of course he loves you, harry. You're his father. No matter what happened between you and he when he was a child doesn't change the deep down feelings." Ruth softly kisses Harry and dries his tears.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be so emotional." Harry whispers as he holds Ruth in his arms.

"You should never be embarrassed to show your emotions, even your tears. It shows me you care and that is most important to Graham and to me." Ruth gently reassures Harry.

"I'm not embarrassed, but it's not my usual way of being. It's making me uncomfortable." Harry admits quietly.

Ruth chuckles softly. "I didn't know you had a usual way of being, Harry. You certainly aren't emotional at work. Don't worry about that. Now, get changed and come to bed. You have an early meeting in the morning. You need to be at your best. The Home Secretary will be eager for a new report on everything."

"I am so tired of the Home Secretary. He's a fool. A typical politician with no experience in the field he's been appointed to oversee." Harry sighs heavily.

"Harry, you can't do anything about it now. Get changed and come to bed. Dealing with politicians will never change. You just need to be charming and patient. They all listen to you." Ruth says gently. "Do you have a meeting with the D.G. tomorrow?"

"No, I don't. Thank God for that. I could handle a meeting with the Home Secretary and the D.G. all at once." Harry strips down to his boxers and undershirt and climbs into bed next to Ruth. He's always much warmer than Ruth and he pulls her against him to keep her warm.

Ruth cuddles against Harry, puts her arm across his chest, and leans her head against his chest.

Harry turns out the light and sinks his head onto his pillow and moves Ruth's dark hair so he's not inhaling her hair all night. He quickly falls asleep. Ruth was clearly right about how tired he was.

Ruth smiles as Harry falls asleep in her arms. Shortly after Harry falls asleep she falls asleep next to him. She's happy that Harry's son is staying across the hall. It's made Harry very happy.


	9. Banter Over Breakfast

When the alarm clock goes off the next morning Ruth is angry that she's not getting more sleep. She climbs out of bed pulling her robe on as she pushes her hair back off her face. She heads down to the kitchen to start making breakfast. Graham has already made coffee.

"I promise I didn't open anything." Graham teases Ruth.

"I know you didn't. If you had CO-19 would have showed up very quickly." Ruth smiles at Graham. "I think I'll go turn the alarm off so I can let the dog out before I start on breakfast." Ruth walks over to the panel and has her retina and fingerprint scanned to turn the alarm off. "You dad is in the shower. He should be down soon for breakfast. Come on Scarlett. Let's let you out." Ruth gently scratches the little dog behind her ears. She opens the back door and the little dog scampers into the backyard. Ruth smiles and begins to make breakfast.

"Morning," Harry says as he enters the kitchen. He walks over to Ruth and kisses her cheek. "Did you pick up the newspaper?"

"No, I didn't. I just let Scarlett out. I was just about to pour myself a cup of coffee. Do you want some?" Ruth relaxes into Harry's arms.

"Yes please Ruth. I'll just go get the newspapers. Morning Graham." Harry says as he walks past his son.

"Morning dad." Graham smiles and watches his dad, whose hair is still wet from his shower, walk to the front door and pick up the papers.

"Did you sleep well, Graham?" Harry asks as he walks back into the kitchen unfolding the paper as he walks. He picks up his coffee and sits down across from his son.

"I slept really well. Thanks for asking. That's an awesome mattress to sleep on." Graham sips his coffee and watches his dad, who's squinting at the paper.

"Ruth, have you seen my reading glasses?" Harry asks rubbing his eyes.

"They were on the coffee table last time I saw them." Ruth says as she continues to make breakfast.

Harry walks into the living room and locates his reading glasses. He puts them on when he enters the kitchen.

"Dad, you look so much less intimidating with your glasses on. You look more benevolent somehow." Graham teases.

Harry takes his glasses off, holds them in his right hand and says, "Gee thanks, Graham. I really appreciate that." Harry knows he's being sarcastic and he hopes his son figures that out and isn't mad at him.

"You do have a benevolent side even if you don't want to believe it." Graham says seriously.

"Alright you two, breakfast is ready. I hope you like it." Ruth sets breakfast down in front of Harry and Graham.

"I'm sure it's fabulous Ruth. Thank you so much." Graham says sweetly.

"It's no problem Graham. What time is your meeting with the Home Secretary, Harry?" Ruth asks as she sits down with her breakfast.

"The meeting is at 9 o'clock. The last time I talked to him he was not happy. I'm not looking forward to this." Harry says grimly.

"You never look forward to your meetings with the Home Secretary. Don't lie." Ruth teases.

"You're right. I hate my meetings with the Home Secretary. He's so arrogant and ignorant. It's so hard to explain things to him." Harry runs his hands over his face.

"That's the face I'm use to seeing: the stressed out, tired one. He looks like that throughout my childhood." Graham sympathizes with his dad.

"Breakfast is good sweetheart." Harry leans over and kisses Ruth's cheek.

"Thank you, harry. It's nice to have time to have breakfast." Ruth sighs and leans back in her chair.

"It's pretty rare to have a morning this calm. I'm waiting for the chaos to start, to be honest. This is too quiet." Harry says firmly.

"You're a ray of sunshine, dad." Graham teases.

"He's right actually. Usually if our morning is this quiet the rest of the day is crazy. I dread the rest of the day now that the morning has been so smooth." Ruth says seriously.

"You two are so suspicious. I don't know how you do this day after day." Graham admits.

"Suspicion is just force of habit in this line of work. I don't know how I continue to do this either, but it's all I've ever known. Between the Security Service and the army it's been my entire life." Harry says sadly.

Ruth reaches over and covers Harry's hand with hers. "You're good at your job, Harry. Listen, I'm going to go up and get dressed for work. You two sit and finish your coffee." Ruth gently kisses Harry's forehead.


	10. Wow Dad!

"My God Dad, she's fantastic and so sweet. How on earth did you get so lucky?" Graham marvels at the new woman in his dad's life.

"I don't know how I got so lucky, but I know I don't take anything for granted anymore. Ruth has been in and out of my life for various reasons and I'm never going to let her go again and if that mean I have to leave the service to protect the two of us then I will." Harry says firmly.

"Wow, you're really certain about this, dad. I'm really impressed." Graham says seriously.

"I'm so serious that I'm thinking about proposing to her, but I don't know how to do it. I was thinking about proposing over Christmas. Do you want to see the ring?" Harry asks as he smiles when he thinks about Ruth.

"Yeah, of course I do! I'm so impressed with how mature you're being." Graham smiles at his dad.

Harry listens upstairs to make sure that the water in the bathroom sink is still running before he goes over to the liquor cabinet and digs into the back for the velvet box he stashed in there. He carefully pulls it out and shows it to his son.

"Wow dad, you did a good job! It's beautiful! Ruth will love it!" Graham is happy for his dad.

"I'm so nervous about proposing to her. I was never this nervous when I proposed to your mother." Harry admits to his son.

"When you propose to her just speak from the heart. She adores you. I can see it in her face and her actions when she interacts with you. She's special if she's willing to take you on." Graham reassures his dad.

"She is special. I've been saying that for years. She doesn't believe it, but I wish she would. She's wonderful." Harry stashes the ring back in the liquor cabinet.

"I've never heard you be so open and emotional, dad. Ruth has really gotten into your heart. She's changed you for the better. I'm glad we're back in each others' lives again." Graham says seriously.

"So am I. You know, when things were really bad between me and your mum I never thought I'd have a relationship with you again because your mum was so determined that I would. I hated that I couldn't talk to you when I wanted to. I never wanted to leave you as abruptly as I did." Harry admits to his son.

"Somehow I already knew that deep in the recesses of my mind. When you were around when I was a kid we were close. I knew you wouldn't leave unless you had to. I'm sorry mum has made things so difficult." Graham says gently.

"I haven't exactly made things easy in my relationship with your mum after we separated. I became very angry when we separated, but I don't think I ever told her that and maybe I should have." Harry thinks carefully.

"Dad, let's forget about the past. We can't change what we did or said. We just have to move on now and have a positive relationship. We both need this."

"You've grown up so much, Graham. I'm so proud of you. I know I don't say that often enough."

"Isn't that the whole point of life, dad, to grow up? I only hope I'm someone you can always be proud of."

"I always have been proud of you and I always will be. You are my son and I am so proud of who you've become."

Ruth leans against the doorframe and listens to Harry and Graham talking to each other. "I'm so glad you two are getting along so well. It's so nice." Ruth says as she comes into the room.

"You look nice, Ruth." Harry says as he looks towards his girlfriend.

"We should go Harry. You have to drive me to work and then go off to your meeting." Ruth gently reminds Harry.

"I need to go too. I have to go to work. I can't be late. I'll walk out with you." Graham smiles at his dad.

Harry tightens his tie and helps Ruth into her coat and pulls his coat on. "All right, you two go out and I'll set the alarm."

"Come on Graham. We'll wait for Harry outside." Ruth ushers Graham out the front door.

"He's so protective of you, Ruth. It's sweet." Graham says honestly.

"Yeah, he's really sweet." Ruth smiles happily.

"What are you two gossiping about out here?" Harry asks as he comes out, puts his arm around Ruth's shoulders, and kisses Ruth's cheek.

"Nothing at all." Ruth smiles cheekily.

"Mmhm," Harry chuckles. "All right, it was really good to see you, Graham. Please keep in touch."

Graham hugs his dad tightly. "It was good to see you too, dad. I promise I'll stay in touch." Graham turns towards Ruth. "Look after him. I know he doesn't look after himself."

"It's so good to meet you, Graham. I know you dad is very glad you came to visit. We'll see you again soon." Ruth hugs Graham.

"Thank you, Ruth. Bye dad. See you soon." Graham goes and gets in his car.


	11. Phone Call From Harry's Ex

Just as Harry and Ruth are about to get is the car Harry's phone rings. "Damn, I have to take this. Here, you drive." Harry passes Ruth the keys. "Hello Jane."

Ruth cringes when she hears the name of the person Harry is talking to. She pulls down the drive and onto the street.

"Have you seen our son?" Jane asks tearfully. She's worried about Graham.

"Yes, he came to see me last night and he stayed over because it was so late when he was about to leave. We had dinner together. It was really nice." Harry tells his ex-wife.

"Oh, thank God. I was worried when I couldn't get a hold of him last night." Jane breathes a sigh of relief.

"He's fine. I just saw him off to work. I had a good time with him last night." Harry tries to remain positive with his ex.

"I'm glad you and he are getting along better now. Did you and he argue last night?" Jane asks plainly.

"No, we didn't. Everything was perfectly pleasant. He wouldn't have stayed with me otherwise. We talked really openly and I loved it." Harry says honestly.

"Thank you for telling me, Harry. I want you to have a relationship with your son." Jane says seriously.

"That's all I want, Jane. I want to have a relationship with my son. I don't want to put you down or anything. That's not what I want to do." Harry says seriously.

"That's a very mature viewpoint, Harry. Thank you." Jane says sweetly.

"I'll talk to you later, Jane. I'm on my way to work and I have a meeting this morning." Harry says trying to finish the conversation.

"If you're talking to me you can't be driving. Who's driving Harry?" Jane prods gently.

Harry takes a deep breath. "My girlfriend is driving."

"Did Graham meet your girlfriend last night?" Jane asks Harry.

"Yes, he did meet Ruth. He likes her very much. Graham and Ruth got along very well last night." Harry tells Jane.

"I'll talk to you later, Harry. I'm glad you and Graham are getting along now. It's good for both of you." Jane says remarkably happily.

"Bye Jane." Harry says cordially.

"That doesn't sound like it was so bad. Jane sounded like she was being very polite." Ruth breathes a sigh of relief when Harry and Jane don't have an argument.

"It wasn't too bad. Jane was very polite and she doesn't mind that Graham and I have a relationship. That makes me feel really good." Harry says happily.

"I'm proud of you, Harry. You were very cordial with her." Ruth says gently.

"You know I'm quite proud of myself. That's the first time since we've divorced that we've been able to have a polite conversation. I'm glad we were able to do that." Harry says seriously.

"Well done Harry. You just do the exact same thing the next time Jane calls." Ruth reassures Harry. Ruth carefully pull into the car park under MI-5 headquarters.


	12. Meeting with the Home Secretary

"I've got to find Mike and head over to my meeting with the Home Secretary. Can I get my keys back please?" Harry teases Ruth.

"Yes, of course you can. Do you have all the paperwork you need to take with you?" Ruth asks gently. She passes Harry his keys.

"No, I have to run up to my office and collect some paperwork. There's some files the Home secretary needs to see." Harry says tiredly.

Ruth leans over and kisses Harry's cheek. "Be strong Harry. The Home Secretary can't be negative all the time." She slides out of the car and Harry follows her.

The trip up to Section D in the lift is quiet. Harry shoves his hands deep into his pockets. He begins to drop his work mask into place. He knows he can't touch Ruth from the moment he steps into the lift until the moment they leave for the day. She is too tempting for him.

"Harry, are you all right? You look stressed. Are you going to be okay when you go to your meeting?" Ruth says gently.

"I'll be okay. I just have to remember to stay calm. If I could drink at 9 a.m. and get away with it I would." Harry sighs and runs his hand over his face. Meetings exhaust him and he hasn't even had the meeting yet.

"Morning Ruth." Tariq says from his station.

"Morning Tariq." Ruth says with a smile.

"Harry looks like he's in one of his moods again." Ros comes out of the kitchen carrying a cup of tea.

"Well, he does have a meeting with the Home Secretary this morning. That never puts him in a good mood." Ruth reminds Ros.

"Oh God, he's going to be an absolute bear when he comes back. Those meetings never go well." Ros watches Harry as he packs some files into his briefcase.

Harry comes out of his office well aware that everyone has been watching him. "Right, I'm off to my meeting. See everybody later." Ruth smiles supportively at Harry as he leaves the Grid. She gets back to work knowing that Harry will be demanding information when he comes back.


	13. The Little Niggling Details

"Do we have the surveillance tapes from GCHQ yet?" Ruth asks Tariq.

"Yeah, I got them. I'm going through them right now. It's pretty boring, but every once in a while our target is in frame. I need to look at it more carefully to see what we're really looking at and whether it's really important to our investigation or not." Tariq tells Ruth.

"Let me know if you need an extra pair of eyes. It's overwhelming sometimes, I know." Ruth reassures Tariq.

Ros is sitting at her desk going over some of the new information that's come in about the groups they're monitoring currently. "God, don't these people ever get tired of being fanatical? This is the same drivel over and over."

Ruth comes over and reads over Ros' shoulder. "It's similar, but it's not exactly the same. Some of the groups are more likely to be violent than others. This group and this one are capable of violence and have committed acts of terrorism before. My Russian is rusty, but those two messages are definitely more fanatical."

"We need to get this translated. Why would someone send up documents in Russian?" Ros is quite cross.

"Someone probably assumed I spoke Russian. I speak nearly every other language we need to know on the planet. It's not an unreasonable assumption for people to make. Just put a red post-it on an empty file and put the things you want translated in it. Put urgent on the post-it and we should get it back tomorrow. Unless you want to wait for Harry to come back, and risk asking him to translate the Russian." Ruth teases Ros.

"Even you couldn't get Harry to do that. I'll just run this down to get it translated. Harry's going to be in a bad enough mood without me asking him to use his rusty Russian skills for us." Ros smiles at Ruth.

"Update!" Harry barks as he re-enters the Grid. It's clear his meeting didn't go well.

"Pretty slow Harry. We're still monitoring those groups and we have some documents that need to be translated." Ros reports to Harry.

"Why did they send something up here untranslated?" Harry grumbles.

"They thought a certain someone up her could speak the language so they sent up the original text. It's always better if we go have the original." Ros teases Ruth and Harry.

"What language is it in?" Harry asks wearily.

"It's in Russian." Ruth tells Harry.

Harry cringes. "My spoken Russian was always better than my written. Take those and get them translated."

"Harry, you look stressed. Can I make you a cup of tea?" Ruth asks gently.

"I'll have a cup of tea, but only if you have one and join me in my office for a break." Harry tries to persuade Ruth.

"Yes, all right. Give me 10 minutes and I'll come and join you. You go and relax for a while. Please don't start drinking this early in the day." Ruth pleads with Harry.

"I promise I won't go and have a glass of scotch although I could use it." Harry promises. He sighs heavily and runs his hands firmly over his face. He walks into his office and sits on the couch.

Ruth goes into the kitchenette to make tea. She puts two teabags into a teapot and waits for the water to boil. She leans against the counter as she waits. She gets two mugs down and fills a cream and sugar to take in with her. Ruth yawns widely as the tea steeps.

Harry is leaning his head against the back of the couch when Ruth comes in. "Sit down Ruth." Harry says quietly.

Ruth comes over and puts the tea tray down on the coffee table before she sits down next to Harry. She pours him a cup of tea the way he likes it, puts her hand on his shoulder and says, "Here Harry. Drink this and try and relax a little bit. There's nothing you need to worry about on the Grid right now."


	14. Locked Down in the Grid

Suddenly the Grid is plunged into darkness and the alarms begin ringing. The public address system comes on and the voice says, "A breach has been discovered in another section. The building is locked down until further notice."

Harry sighs heavily. His day has just gotten infinitely worse. He stands up and opens the door to his office. "You were saying, Ruth? Someone turn that damn alarm off!"

"I'm trying Harry! It's going to take a few minutes!" Tariq calls over the din.

Harry closes the door to his office and goes over to his desk. He opens a drawer, pulls out a bottle of aspirin and shakes two pills into his hand. "Well, if I didn't have a headache before I certainly do now."

"Come and sit down Harry. There's nothing you can do about the situation." Ruth says gently. "We just have to wait this out."

"I'm tired already." Harry yawns.

Ruth puts her arm around Harry's shoulders and pulls him over to rest his head on her chest. "I'm cold." Ruth whispers.

Harry swings his legs up onto the couch and says, "I know. When the Grid goes into lockdown it shuts down all heating and cooling so that there's no chance of bioterrorism." Harry cuddles against Ruth.

Ruth pulls the blanket from the back of Harry's couch and puts it over her legs. She sighs happily when the alarm turns off.

"What's the plan, Harry? We can't do any work because the Grid has shut down all the computers." Ros asks as she pokes her head into Harry's office.

"Just relax Ros. We'll be out of here soon enough. There's enough emergency power to make tea and use the microwave. We just have to make the best of the situation." Harry says seriously.

"I hate being stuck here. It's one thing when I'm here voluntarily, it's another thing when I get stuck in here." Ros grumbles.

Harry chuckles as Rose walks out of the office. She's so impatient for someone whose job is so reliant on patience.

Ruth pours herself another cup of tea and puts her hands around the cup to try and keep them warm.

Harry slips his shoes off and swings his feet up onto the sofa again. "Ros might not like being stuck here, but I don't mind. The mobile phone network is down so we won't be getting any calls. I wish I could have more time with no technology. I have to deal with technology more often than I would like."

"Don't let Tariq hear you speaking that way. He'll never forgive you. Malcolm was always so upset with you when you said something negative about technology." Ruth teases Harry.

Harry turns to look out of the window in his office at his team before he turns back towards Ruth and kisses her softly. "I love you." Harry whispers.

"Harry, I thought we said we shouldn't engage in public displays of affection at work. I don't mind and it's dark, but we both decided we couldn't do this, didn't we? Have you changed your mind about that?" Ruth asks gently.

"What if I have changed my mind about that? I would love to be able to kiss you before I go to a meeting or you go to a drop. I want to be able to hug you when you're worried or scared when you're here just like when we're at home." Harry admits.

Ruth thinks carefully before she looks at Harry and says, "Okay, I trust you not to go too far when we're at work, but I wouldn't mind more displays of affection at work."

"Really? That surprises me after all your worries about the gossip from the team. Are you sure about this?" Harry asks gently.

"Yes, I'm sure. There are time when we need each other's support when we're on the Grid without the presence of our expectations of "proper" behaviour at work." Ruth says seriously.

"Well, that's our most mature conversation about that topic ever. We should be able to touch each other at work." Harry says with a smirk. "I think we should go see what the team is up to."

"Yes, just hold my hand when we go out there. It's really dark and I'm really clumsy." Ruth says cheekily.

"Okay," Harry says seriously. He pushes his feet back into his shoes and stands up. The moment Ruth stands up she clutches Harry's hand in hers. Harry carefully steers himself and Ruth around the furniture in his office. "How is everyone doing out here?"

"Make him stop!" The team shout pointing at Tariq.

"I'm bored. There's nothing to do here when all the technology is down." Tariq is bouncing a ball against the wall.

"There's some board games in the kitchenette. If you're that bored start one of those. We can all play." Harry suggests. "There must be a deck of cards in there too."

"Oh God, count me out. I'm not playing happy families with all of you." Ros says grumpily.

Tariq jumps up and goes to find a board game and a deck of cards. "Here we go! I found Monopoly and a deck of cards. What do we want?"

"Well, we could play poker or canasta or rummy if we use the cards or we could play Monopoly." Ruth suggests.

"Oh, let's play poker. That sounds like fun." Lucas laughs.

"As long as it's not strip poker I'm in. No offense Harry, but that's not something I ever want to see, although Ruth probably wouldn't mind." Tariq teases the couple.

Ruth has the good sense to blush at Tariq's comment. Tariq's so young sometimes.

"It's a very good thing I like you as I do, Tariq, or you'd be off to darkest Peru for that particular comment." Harry growls.

"Oh relax harry. It's all in jest. We all love you. That's why we tease you." Ruth leans over and kisses Harry's cheek.

"Aww, that was so sweet. Come on, let's play. I'll deal." Lucas grabs the deck of cards.

"Jeez Lucas, lay off." Beth says as she pulls a chair up to sit with the group. "Ruth is just sweet by nature unlike the rest of us."

"Oh, don't underestimate her. Ruth has a little bit of a wicked streak you don't always see. She's got a wicked sense of humour." Harry tells the team as he looks at his cards.

"How many cards do you want, Tariq?" Lucas asks trying to redirect the conversation.

"I'll take three. Boy, you better hope you were allowed to say that, Harry. You could end up in the doghouse with that comment." Tariq says seriously.

"Is that really what you think, Tariq? That Harry and I trust each other so little that there's things we tell each other we can't say? I assure you that's not true." Ruth says seriously. "I'll take two cards Lucas."

"I'm glad someone is paying attention." Lucas mumbles.

"Do spies ever really trust each other as much as they would like?" Ros asks from her spot behind Harry.

"No, we never trust as much as we would like, but it's worth it to try. Give me three cards Lucas." Harry says without looking at Ros.

"God, we're having two different conversations. Can we stick with one topic? Men don't multitask conversations well." Lucas grumbles.

"I'll take one card." Beth says as she tries not to laugh at Lucas.

"Lucas, are you seriously telling me that you're a highly trained spy and you can't handle two conversations at the same time? That worries me." Harry teases Lucas.

"Harry, don't you start. It's bad enough with the girls around always talking without you adding to it. Dealer takes two." Lucas whines.

The red light in the room signifying a lockdown casts the whole room in an eerie glow. Ruth finds the whole situation spooky especially since this isn't a drill. She sighs heavily. Poker's not her favourite game.


End file.
